More photos of Leeds Central Library, which I think is a really remarkable piece of Victorian ingenuity and taste. It dates back to around 1880. The main stairwell is mind-blowing (although rather tricky to photograph and these are just taken with my phone). Each level is slightly different, with stone or wrought iron balustrades and soaring arches. It has mosaic tiled floors, tiles on the walls, stained glass windows and an ornate handrail with stone dogs and lions at the top and bottom of each flight. The pillars are made of 380 million-year-old Devonian coral reef with fossils in them. It is fascinating and reminds me a little of an Escher drawing in its complexity. The library is the kind of building I'd love to be taken round on an organised tour, as I imagine there is more to be seen and learned about than is visible in a quick trip when it is open for public use.
Those Victorians didn't skimp anything when they went all-out for "impressive".
ReplyDeleteThe age of buildings in England is mind blowing. This is a beautiful stairwell.
ReplyDeleteThe central atrium reminds me of one in our Museum of Nature.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful craftsmanship! A building that is a piece of art on every surface!
ReplyDeleteIt would be a fabulous place to have tours. So many wonderful details.
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